Process for removing liquid from organic and inorganic substances.



BOTHO osmosn v GERMANY, A conrona'non.

scnwnmn, or FBANKFORT-ON-THEMAIN, enemy,

'AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT (GM)? 7 ASSIGNOR TO ELEKTRO- SCHWERIN GESELLSCHAFT), OF BERLIN,

PROCESS FOBBEMOVTNG LIQUID FROM ORGANIC AND INRGANIC SUBSTANCES.-

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, BOTHO SCHWERIN, residing at Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Removing Liquid from Organic and Inorganic Substances, of which the following is a specification.

The method of removing water or juice from organic and inorganic materials by electro-osmosis is now well known. In previous Letters Patent of the inventor it has been shown in particular that water may be removed from peat in this manner and a comparatively dry peat thus obtained. I

Although the product represented a peat of a degree of dryness unattainable by mechanical methods only at disproportionately high cost, it has not been possible hitherto to bring this known process to a practical issue, because the degree of dryness attainable by consumption of a certain amount of energy was not sufficiently high to give the electro-osmotic process commercial value in a wide sense.

Thetpresent invention relates to a process by which, without increasing the consumption of energy, a .considerable increase in the degree of dryness-can be achieved, particularly in the case of peat, but also in the case of other materials of organic or inorganic nature.

It has been found that the electro-osmotic removal of water becomes the more effective the more finely subdivided the material is;

that is to say, as the smallness of the particles increases the extent to which .the water is removed and the rapidity of the osmosis increase. The present improvement, therefore, consists in comminuting the material for instance the 'peat to as finely subdivided condition as possible before subjecting it to the electro-osmotic process for removin Water. The degree of fineness is limite by commercial consideratrons. v

In the chemical effect is frequently enhanced by adding to the colloidal body or to a suspension thereof, an electrolyte suitable for bringing the body into the condition of a colloidal solution (sol-condition).

Hitherto the proportion .of the added elec-- Specification of Letters Patent.

treatment of colloids the the finished material.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed April 6,1914. Serial mi. 829,952.

trolyte has been determined in relation either to the volume or the weight of the substance to which it is to be added. This rule generally leads to unfavorable results since the permissible maximum of added electrolyte is exceeded and the efiect thereby diminished. I have found that the maximum permissible addition of electrolyte does not depend on the quantity and the weight of the solid part or on the volume of the liquid in which it is suspended, but the optimum addition of electrolyte depends on the superficies of the dispersoid, that is, to say, under otherwise equal conditions on the degree of dispersion of the solid body. The finer the material is divided the more electrolyte is added. If, for instance, one is dealing with particles of a certain size, then a certain proportionate quantity of electrolyte will be needed to ionize the particles, and, if the grinding is continued so far that each particle is divided into four parts, there will be four times as many particles present While the volume as well as the weight of the mass remains the same and therefore in order to ionize all the particles, there must be added a four-fold quantity of electrolyte.

Thus it is vention to bring the degree of comminution into such relationship with the amountpf added electrolyte, that the maximum of addition for a given degree of dispers'ionis attained. Here also the limit depends on commercial conditions, namely cost of comminution and cost of electrolyte.

When a body which is to be comminuted, such as peat is subjected to the operation in presence of the electrolyte, the latter has the effect of rendering the comminution much more electrolytecan be added the greater the degree of dispersion of the soli'd'substance. The at is first rou hly ound and then fine y'ground in bal mil s. In this manner there is obtained a considerable increase in the dehydrating efi'ect per unit time and inthe content-of dry substance in The following table relates to treatment the further object of this inz of peat by e'lectro-osmosis during 20 minutes.

I Intensityof current-:5 amperes.

I. 10 kilos peat with 2; liters water.

2 hours ground.

Volts. Watts. %Desiccation. Amount of water.

60.4 v 802 70.0 9632. 68 .i5 aii 4 hours ground.

64. 0 270 7019 90. 6 67. 'r 854 6 hours ground.

II. To the same mass added 100 com. NaOH.

2 hours ground. 259

51.8 72.4 I 90.2. 64.6 327 4 hours ground.

46 240 73. 0 90. 2 63. 7 30a 6 hours ground.

4s. a 219 73, 7 90. 2 62. s 276 III. To the same mass added 200 com. NaOH.

2 hours ground.

44.0 220 71.5 89.7 63.5 261 4 hours ground.

. 6 hours ground.

I have found that thefavorable effect of adding an electrolyte is not experienced or only incompletely experienced in the case of many materials. The effect of the electrolyte can now be considerably increased by adding to the mass a colloid body in addition to an electrolyte. Such bodies are, for instance, colloidal silicic acid, humic substance, organic and inorganic colloids. By adding bodies of this kind the'efi'ect of the electrolyte is increased. The colloidal body may be added to the mass before the electro lyte is added, or simultaneously therewith. For example, in the treatment of steatite an addition of sodium silicate produces favorable results. In this-case the colloid body (colloidal silicic acid) and the suitable electrolyte are united. The former is liberated by hydrolysis and absorbed, whereas tricalenergy required. If, in two hours of grinding, 395 kilo-watt hours are used, after six hours only 323 additional kilowatt hours are required. A further improvement is perceived if the grinding takes place in the presence of an electrolyte. If to the above mentioned mixture of peat and water, 100 cubic centimeters of sodium hydrate are added, the same result is obtained with a two hours grinding as a six hours grinding without an electrolyte; that is, only 327 kilo-watt hours are required. A six hour grinding with the above mentioned addition of electrolyte needs only an additional 276 kilo-watt hours. An addition of 200 cubic centimeters of sodium hydrate gives a further improvement so that the cur rent required for a six hour grinding is reduced from 261 to 216 kilo-watt hours.

What I claim, is:

1. A process for removing Water from organic and inorganic substances consisting in.

subdividing the substances as finely as possible in the presence of an electrolyte suitable for bringing the solid body into solcondition. and subjecting the substances in sol-condition to the electro-osmotic treatment.

2. A process for removing Water from organic and inorganic substances consisting in subdividing substances as finely as possible in the presence of an electrolyte suitable for bringing a solid body in sol-condition and also'bringing said finely divided substance in the presence of a colloid body and subjecting the substance to treatment.

electro-osmotic 3. A process for removing water from peat consisting in subdividing the peat as finely as possible in the presence of sodium hydrate and subjecting the peatto electroosmotic treatment.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

BOTHO SOHWERIN. 

